Chapter 116: Different Intentions

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Different Intentions

Chapter 116: Different Intentions

Audra Sloane stared at Cyrus’s message on her phone and caught her lower lip between her teeth.

She had known this conversation would come.

Whatever explanation she offered, she had still been the one who crossed the line. Avoiding him because the memory embarrassed her would not change that, and hiding from a mistake had never suited her.

From Cyrus’s perspective, the situation probably looked simple. She had discovered what he really looked like, lost control of herself, and done something she had no right to do.

The glamourkin ring had influenced her. Audra no longer doubted that.

Even so, she could not deny the small, shameful satisfaction she had felt afterward.

That private spark of pleasure was the part that made excuses difficult. The ring had pushed her, but it had not created every thought in her head. She had already been too concerned with what Cyrus thought of her, and that concern had led her through one poor decision after another.

Audra remained still for several seconds, then touched the screen.

The message changed to read.

Another message from Cyrus appeared almost immediately, asking whether they could meet in the same empty classroom on the fourth floor.

Audra sent a simple reply, picked up the brown envelope she had prepared, and left for the meeting place before he arrived.

The empty classroom had once seemed like an ideal setting.

She had chosen it because it was private enough for conversation and because she had believed a little privacy might let Cyrus see her differently. She had assumed that, without classmates surrounding them, she could make him notice the things everyone else noticed without effort.

The confidence behind that plan now felt ridiculous.

Cyrus did not lack beauty. He had been hiding more of it than most people could manage even if they tried.

Looking back, his behavior made sense. He wanted to pass through school without becoming anyone’s topic. He hid his appearance, ignored other people’s opinions, and kept his distance from attention that would have delighted someone else.

When a girl who attracted notice everywhere approached him, avoidance was a reasonable response.

Even laughing at her made more sense in hindsight than she wanted to admit.

Audra let out a restrained breath and looked toward the door.

Cyrus’s habit of playing the invisible background student had caused nearly every misunderstanding between them.

Unfortunately, that same habit had also led her to discover the face beneath the disguise.

She could hardly complain about the result.

The familiar figure appeared at the far end of the hallway. As Cyrus approached the classroom, Audra tightened her grip on the envelope, stepped forward, and inclined herself before he could speak.

"I know this may not be enough to make up for what happened, but I hope you will accept it."

Cyrus’s attention dropped to the brown envelope held between her hands.

The shape looked familiar.

More importantly, it looked thick.

His interest rose before he could stop it.

The amount inside had to be several times larger than the Most Improved Student Award he had been considering. Audra did not appear to view the money as a difficult expense either. She held it out with the calm sincerity of someone who could replace it without skipping a meal.

Was she from one of those families with enough money to treat an apology like a private scholarship?

Cyrus debated the matter in silence.

Accepting would be easy. The envelope could cover food, medicine, transportation, and several other expenses he preferred not to think about until they arrived. Money offered freedom in a way apologies rarely did.

He refused anyway.

The decision hurt immediately.

Money was a terrible invention. It made the correct choice feel personally insulting.

If he took Audra’s compensation, he could hardly turn around and question her about the ring with a clear conscience. He needed her to speak openly, and accepting a large payment first would make every later question look like part of a negotiation.

Cyrus raised his head.

"I do not believe you are the kind of person who would normally do that."

The level tone of his voice made Audra straighten.

Cyrus continued before she could respond.

"That is why I care more about what influenced you. I want to know whether it could affect you again and make you do something you would regret afterward."

Audra stared at him.

He had nearly become the victim of her actions, yet he was speaking as though her safety mattered more than his anger. His voice remained cool, but the words carried a concern she had not expected.

The guilt that had already settled in her chest grew heavier.

He was still thinking about her.

Was Cyrus actually this considerate beneath the distant expression and hidden face?

The thought warmed her before she could question it.

Of course someone capable of attracting her attention would be exceptional. Even without the ring, she probably would have noticed him eventually. The artifact might have accelerated the process, but it could not be responsible for everything she felt now.

Audra’s thoughts shifted rapidly while she chose her response.

"The ring’s influence was part of it," she said. "Even so, I was still the one who hurt you."

"I am all right. I am more concerned about what the effect could do to you."

Cyrus felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.

Audra was listening. Better yet, she had acknowledged that an outside influence existed without forcing him to introduce the subject himself.

He could work with that.

"The effect sounds serious," he said. "Are you sure you should handle it alone? I can help you investigate it if you are comfortable with that."

Audra’s breath paused.

"You would help me?"

Cyrus nodded.

"You have helped me before. I do not see why you should deal with something like this without support."

His delivery remained restrained, with none of the warmth Owen or Faye might have shown when offering help. Audra felt the impact anyway.

The words spread through her chest with embarrassing ease.

If Cyrus was willing to help, perhaps they could study the ring together. Her grandfather had already been investigating it, and Cyrus’s direct experience could reveal something the existing research had missed.

More importantly, Cyrus would be involved willingly.

That mattered more than she wanted to examine.

Audra quickly explained that the glamourkin ring had come from her grandfather’s research and that they believed it could influence or control the person affected by it.

"Control," Cyrus repeated.

That confirmed his suspicion.

The artifact was not merely making people more emotional. It could interfere with choice.

Audra watched his reaction, then noticed how little surprise crossed his face.

"Cyrus, are you not shocked that rare-bloods truly exist?"

A small mistake registered behind the hair hiding his eyes.

Cyrus had reacted too calmly.

Most ordinary students would have doubted her, demanded proof, or treated the entire explanation like a joke. He had accepted the existence of a supernatural species and a mind-altering artifact with the composure of someone discussing an unusual prescription.

He corrected course.

"I have encountered a glamourkin before."

Audra’s expression changed.

"You actually met one?"

"Yes, I did. It happened some time ago."

Cyrus gave her the shortened version of the incident, leaving out everything that could expose more than necessary. He explained the woman’s charm, the danger surrounding her, and how the police eventually took her into custody.

He had nearly forgotten that ordinary people were supposed to react to rare-blood revelations.

Fortunately, Audra’s interest moved toward the glamourkin story rather than toward his lack of surprise.

"Where is she now?" Audra asked.

"I do not know what happened after the police arrested her."

"What a waste."

Cyrus tilted his head slightly.

"What was wasted?"

Audra realized she had spoken aloud and quickly shook her head.

"I meant nothing serious. I was only thinking about the research."

Her regret remained private.

A living glamourkin could have answered questions that old books and family notes could not. The ring’s effects, limits, and intended use might have been much easier to understand if they could ask someone from the same rare-blood line directly.

Audra guided the conversation back before Cyrus could examine her response too closely.

"Even after hearing all of this, are you still willing to help me?"

"Yes, I am willing."

Cyrus’s answer came without hesitation. His voice grew firmer, and he gave a deliberate nod.

Relief passed through him at the same time.

Audra had been the one to introduce the ring and the research. If Cyrus had raised the subject first, he might have exposed how much he already suspected. Her openness had removed that risk.

For the first time, he found her noticeably easier to deal with.

Seen this way, Audra was not much like the woman from his past.

At least she could admit that something had gone wrong and discuss it without pretending control was affection.

"I will bring the ring tomorrow," Audra said.

She tried to keep the sudden eagerness from her voice.

"Could we meet in this classroom again?"

"That will be fine."

They had reached the same agreement for entirely different reasons.

Cyrus had gained access to the artifact without revealing too much.

Audra had gained a private reason to meet him again.

With his goal accomplished, Cyrus turned toward the door.

Audra looked down at the envelope still in her hands.

"Are you certain you do not want the money?"

"I am certain that I cannot accept it."

Cyrus kept his voice steady while something inside him suffered.

He had no idea how many times larger than the school award the amount might be. The envelope had the reassuring weight of rent, groceries, and several pharmacy trips.

If Audra offered one more time, refusing again would become socially unreasonable.

He could accept then without betraying any principle. That was how social customs worked, at least when money was involved.

Cyrus made the decision privately and took one step toward the hallway.

"Cyrus!"

He turned with remarkable speed.

His attention went directly to the envelope in Audra’s hand.

Audra did not extend it.

"The situation in class," she said. "Is there truly nothing going on between you and Faye?"

"There is nothing between us."

The wound left by the rejected money widened.

"I believe you," Audra said. "I believe Faye too."

"Thank you."

Nothing unusual entered Cyrus’s voice, though his hopes had been crushed with unnecessary precision.

"The issue should be settled soon. Owen has probably handled most of it already."

"Has he? Then I understand."

Cyrus nodded and left the classroom, forcing himself to walk away from an amount of money that could have improved his month considerably.

Audra remained alone after the door closed.

Her free hand rose to her chest.

Her heartbeat had quickened. Each beat landed clearly against her palm, harder than the conversation seemed to justify.

She was going to study the ring with Cyrus.

The thought carried relief, anticipation, and a private satisfaction that made her apology feel less clean than it had a few minutes earlier.

His earlier words returned to her.

He had said he wanted to help her carry the burden.

The phrasing should have deepened her guilt.

Instead, another thought slipped in beside it.

Her real regret was that the ring had acted without a clear purpose.

If Cyrus held it tomorrow and used it on her first, would the artifact influence him too? If he became the one directing its effect, what would he ask her to do?

Heat rose through Audra’s face.

Her imagination continued far enough that she had to turn away from the door, though nobody was there to see her.

The conversation on the fourth floor passed without witnesses.

By the time Cyrus returned to advisory, lunch break was nearly over.

He sat down and noticed Faye at her desk with her head lowered, writing something he could not see. Her posture was more focused than it had been during lunch, and the page beneath her hand appeared to be filling quickly.

Cyrus wondered what had caught her attention.

Movement at the classroom door pulled his focus away.

Owen entered, spotted Cyrus immediately, and crossed the room at a brisk pace. His expression suggested the folded warning had produced exactly the kind of concern Cyrus expected.

Owen reached the desk and opened his mouth.

Cyrus raised one finger to his lips.

The signal stopped him.

At that exact moment, the bell rang.

Iris Wexley stepped through the doorway just before the sound finished, arriving with perfect timing as the class settled into place.